Letting your face in the water lets your eyes and mind open to a new world. A world that begins with a myriad of miniature creatures drifting along with the ocean currents. Some of those drifters are larvae at the beginning of their lives and adventures and will when the time is right take off into the open ocean to their final destinations. Others will keep drifting their whole lives twisting and turning, translucent with sparks of neon lights. Some with tentacles, some without. Some with structures to allow them to move, some not. I’ve been amazed at the tiny world of the ocean here, with drifters floating around you, salp connecting and disconnecting in long, rounded, or twisted forms, and jellyfish so beautifully patterned with orange and purple lights like lanterns.
Not only showing the beginnings of life, but the ocean is also an area of playfulness for the creatures who live there. Among the top sightings on this trip was being able to watch a lone sea lion floating around resting with his fins exposed to the warmth of the sun, occasionally flipping and playing with them. Seeing an orca jump out of the water fully exposing its white and black patterns and landing with a huge splash of water spraying is an extraordinary experience, only to the next minute slide into the water and see those huge animals move so swiftly and quietly beneath you in their home environment. The ocean.
- Anneli, Sweden onboard the Nautilus Gallant Lady
